fandomhigh | Biology, 9/19, Period 2

Elliot sipped from a very, very large cup of coffee as she waited for her students. A TV and DVD player had been wheeled into the classroom, and a mound of socks was on each lab table.

"Hi, people. Today you're going to learn about cell reproduction through mitosis and meiosis. They're both processes that cells use to make more cells. The deal is, every living thing begins as one cell. To get the number of cells that are needed to make up, say, Ronnie the rat or you or me, cells need to go through a cycle of division many, many times. And they never stop -- as long as you're alive, cells will keep dividing and growing. Think about skin cells, for example.

The two cells that come from the division of one cell are called daughter cells -- even in boys and men. Each of the daughter cells needs to have a complete set of chromosomes, or genes. The two distinct ways they make those copies are mitosis and meiosis. I have short little movies showing both of them,, because they're kind of complicated to explain, but it's really pretty when you see it."

She cues up the movies, one on mitosis and one on meiosis.

When they're done, she hands out an explanation of the lab. "Go forth and experiment, and try not to throw too many sockosomes at each other."

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Meanwhile Aeryn is thinking the whole class is designed to mess with her. "Do you know what you're doing?" Aeryn asks.

"We're recreating the wonders of cell reproduction!" Willow said, with a far too cheerful smile about this.

Aeryn looks wary. "Is that a yes?"

Willow nodded, still looking disturbingly perky.

"Would you mind helping me with... this, I'm doubting that these are actually words," she says.

"Sockosomes is kinda made up," Willow assured her. "The rest are real though."

Aeryn stares at her handouts and sighs. "Okay, taking this class? Big mistake. If it made one tiny bit of sense, maybe..."

"No problem," Willow said. "Where does it start to get confusing?"

"I understand that there are cells. And then they divide, and then there are movies."

Willow pondered this. "Okay, do you know how humans give birth?"

Aeryn looks just a little bit terrified. Or she would, if she was anyone but Aeryn. "Um. I doubt it's much different, but- Um. Possibly?"

"I'll try to keep this from being gross," Willow assured her. "Point is, when we give birth the mom gives a cell and the dad gives a cell. More or less. It's a little more complicated than that but then again the cells don't look like socks either so you can see how maybe we're ignoring some of the nuance for the moment."

"Okay, so part of each. All right," she nods. "I can see that."

"But the cells are weetiny," Willow said, indicating something very small by pinching her fingertips together. "And babies? Not so much. Which is why doctors went on to invent the epidural but we're getting ahead of ourselves."

"Okay, so cells just divide until they form something... baby-sized?" New weirdest conversation Aeryn's had in Fandom.

"Exactly!" Willow said, nodding at her proudly. "Which is where the not-made-up words come into play."

"Oh," Aeryn says, frowning in shock. "I actually understood that?"

"Yay!" Willow bounced a little. "Go me and my TA self!"

Aeryn's still a little surprised at herself. Okay, a lot surprised at herself. "I'm glad I came over here."

"Me too," Willow said. "If you want we could work together next week? I'd be happy to help."

"I would appreciate that," she says, smiling just a little. "Thank you."

Willow smiled back. "You're very welcome."

Biology, 9/19, Period 2

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